Goodnews Today

By Deacon Bill Rich

goodnews today is written for any Christian who would like to celebrate the good news in his or her life; or is looking for thought-provoking reflections based on selected Gospel passages; or would just like to have a thoughtful homily to reflect on every Sunday.
Scripture passages and accompanying reflections in goodnews today cover every Sunday and Feast Day in the three year Roman Catholic Liturgical calendar.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Dec 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781663210579

Deacon Bill Rich

Deacon Bill has spent the last three decades writing and preaching about living life fully based on Gospel values. He is the author of three other books, Scattered Raindrops, JOY The Journey Home, and Conscious Contact a Camino Pilgrimage. Deacon Bill and his wife Frannie have six children, eleven grandchildren, and live in Juno Beach, FL.

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Copyright © 2020 Deacon Bill Rich.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

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ISBN: 978-1-6632-1056-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-1057-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020922312

iUniverse rev. date: 12/01/2020

Table of Contents

Preface

A Note about Footnotes

The Whole Idea

Year A

First Sunday in Advent The Messiah Is Coming

Second Sunday of Advent Repentance

Third Sunday of Advent Healing

Fourth Sunday of Advent Believe

Christmas Childlike

Feast of the Holy Family Family

The Epiphany of the Lord Journey

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Sharing

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Seek

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time The First Step

Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time Blessed

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Bring Others

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time Attitudes

Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time Harmful Attitudes

Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time Perfect

Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time Worry

Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time Obedience

First Sunday of Lent Life Principles

Second Sunday of Lent Transformation

Third Sunday of Lent Listen

Fourth Sunday of Lent Seeing

Fifth Sunday of Lent Loss

Palm Sunday Suffering

Easter Resurrection

Second Sunday of Easter Mass

Third Sunday of Easter Real Presence

Fourth Sunday of Easter Good Shepherd

Fifth Sunday of Easter The Way

Sixth Sunday of Easter Mom

Feast of the Ascension Doubt

Pentecost Sunday Birth Day

Trinity Sunday Mystery

Feast of Corpus Christi Redeem

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul Rock

Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Special People

Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Good News

Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Judging

Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Relationship

Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Discouraged

Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Fear

Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time Life

Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time The Second Question

Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Trust

Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time Community

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Symbols

Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time Forgiveness

Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time Special

Twenty-Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time Rules

Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time Spiritual Journey

Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time Generosity

Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time Involvement

Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time Essential

Thirty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time Simple Promise

Thirty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Wise

Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time Talents

All Souls Day Faithful Departed

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica Temple

Feast of Christ the King Good Goats

Year B

First Sunday of Advent Present

Second Sunday of Advent Good Finders

Third Sunday of Advent Encounter

Fourth Sunday of Advent Dare

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Real

The Epiphany of the Lord Kingdom

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord God’s Will

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Self-Esteem

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time Follow Me

Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time Priorities

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time The Loving Thing

Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time Leper

Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time Who Am I

First Sunday of Lent Moments of Grace

Second Sunday of Lent Power

Third Sunday of Lent The Message

Fourth Sunday of Lent Eternal

Fifth Sunday of Lent To Be or not to Be

Palm Sunday Crisis

Easter New Beginnings

Second Sunday of Easter Peace

Third Sunday of Easter You and Me

Fourth Sunday of Easter Good Sheep

Fifth Sunday of Easter Humility

Sixth Sunday of Easter Choices

Feast of the Ascension Live It

Pentecost Sunday Leap of Faith

Trinity Sunday Both And

Feast of Corpus Christi Best Friend

Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time Seed

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist God’s Dream

Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time Expectation

Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Fear and Faith

Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Taken for Granted

Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Effort vs Results

Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Compassion

Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Decisions

Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Prerequisites

Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Bread of Life

Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time Flesh and Blood

Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time The Question

Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Attitudes vs Feelings

Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time Healing Attitudes

Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time Humility Reprised

Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time Trust Humility

Twenty-Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time Arrogance

Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time Marriage

Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time Affluence

Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time Servant Leadership

Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time Dead or Alive

Thirty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time Faith

All Saints Day Beatitudes

Thirty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Ten Cents’ Worth

Thirty-Third Sunday Of Ordinary Time End Times

Feast of Christ the King Truth

Year C

First Sunday of Advent Advent

Second Sunday of Advent Preparing

Third Sunday of Advent Communications

Fourth Sunday of Advent Mother’s Love

Christmas God

Feast of the Holy Family Church

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord One with Us

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Good Wine

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time The Whole Idea

Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time Incomplete

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time Disciples

First Sunday of Lent Desert

Second Sunday of Lent Joy

Third Sunday of Lent Spiritual Beings

Fourth Sunday of Lent As We Are

Fifth Sunday of Lent Sin

Palm Sunday Forgive Them

EASTER Don’t Give Up

Second Sunday of Easter Mercy

Third Sunday of Easter Christian

Fourth Sunday of Easter Divine Mercy

Fifth Sunday of Easter Becoming Mercy

Sixth Sunday of Easter Promises

Feast of the Ascension God and Man

Pentecost Sunday A New Spirit

Trinity Sunday Role Model

Feast of Corpus Christi Eucharist

Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time God’s Touch

Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time Forgiving Frees

Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time Let God be God

Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Love Is Hard

Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Insights

Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Solitary Traveler

Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Open

Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Prayer

Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Wealth

Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Centering Prayer

Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time Death

Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time Religion

Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Exalted

Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time Sun

Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time Not Me

Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time True Riches

Twenty-Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time Lazarus

Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time Magical Time

Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time Grateful

Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time Perseverance

Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time Righteous

Thirty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time Zacchaeus

Thirty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Hope

Thirty-Third Sunday Of Ordinary Time Roger

Feast of Christ the King King

Sunday Liturgical Readings

Preface

I am not sure why I have written this book.

My previous books were all written when I was active in parish ministry, and there was at least a chance someone would want a copy. That is no longer true.

As with my other books, it started with a gnawing sense I should do something, accentuated by acquaintances asking why I didn’t. And then the pandemic hit. Which took away any well, I‘m too busy kinds of excuses. So, go figure.

The source materials for goodnews today are three years of short reflections I did for a multi-parish website many years ago. This effort was made possible by two wonderful people: Linda Luizza (our webmaster) and John Penoyar (who provided music, helpful advice and a shared journey). I am deeply indebted to both.

The name of the website was goodnews today. All three of us wanted to share something positive about Jesus, the Gospels and our God. Besides, didn’t Jesus ask his followers to proclaim the good news? Every day?

There are three years of reflections because the Roman Catholic Church has a three-year cycle for its Sunday liturgical readings, appropriately labeled A, B and C. Year A features the Gospel of Matthew, Year B the Gospel of Mark and selected passages from the Gospel of John, and Year C the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of John is featured during the season of Easter in all three years.

What finally got me started writing goodnews today was curiosity. I wanted to see how my beliefs had evolved since originally creating the reflections.

The answer was gratifying. The overall themes remain the same. If anything, they have become more pronounced. The changes I have made focus primarily on matters of emphasis and clarification. I also found I was able to simplify, eliminating passages that were redundant or seemed to be there just to let you know I had thought about the subject.

I have tried to summarize these themes in The Whole Idea. There aren’t many. I think it is because of a comment made by a wonderful priest I worked with in New Hampshire. He said there is really only one message to be preached: the reality of a God who loves us more than we imagine.

As I was reviewing the reflections, a second motive for the book emerged. Here were a set of meditations that covered almost every Sunday Mass that would ever be said. So, if one wanted, here would be a place to find positive reflections once every week.

So, how do I know what Sunday of the year it is? There are a number of answers to the first part of that question. Your Sunday Missalette or Prayer Book will always tell you the name of the Sunday (e.g., Advent, Easter, Ordinary Time). If you prefer, there are also a number of smart phone and iPad applications that serve the same function. Finally, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website (usccb.org.) provides the same information.

Unfortunately, none of these sources tell you the liturgical year. To help those who are interested, I have added a chart just before the Index that lists the calendar years for A, B and C readings.

When I first began my studies for ordination, I found I had an almost insatiable appetite to know more about the Bible, probably because I had never bothered to open one before. It soon became apparent I could never satisfy my yearning to know more by focusing on the entire Bible. So I decided to spend most of my time on the Gospels. I have never regretted that decision.

One of the decisions I pondered for some time was whether to include the Gospel passages in this book or to leave it to the reader to use his or her own Bible. I decided on the latter for a number of reasons, the most important one being that using the Bible you are most familiar with will make the reflections more meaningful.

If you do not have a favorite Bible, you might want to start with New American Bible (NAB), as it is the translation used in Catholic liturgies, or the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), which some of my favorite biblical scholars prefer.

Biblical quotations in this book have been taken from The New American Bible.

The painting on the cover comes from an Easter Sunday sunrise service in the Florida Keys. I love the colors (beauty), the perfect circle (eternal) of the sun (Son as center of our universe) slowly rising through the branches (tangle of our lives), to once again give unchanging light and warmth to everything.

A special thank you to my wife, Frannie, and our dear friend Patti Wengierski. They spent countless hours proof reading and editing drafts of this book.

As with my other books, I realize the one who will gain the most from this book is me. The written word has so much more permanence than the spoken word, forcing me to think deeply about what I believe. It has been a journey made possible by the presence, active support, and occasional critique from my wife, Frannie. She personifies love.

Deacon Bill Rich

The Waterford, Juno Beach, Fl,

November 2020

PS. John, I am right about hope.

A Note about Footnotes

One of the editors I had read my manuscript suggested I cite all sources following guidelines on The Chicago Manual of Style. I did not follow his advice.

The main reason has to do with biblical quotations. At the beginning of each reflection I list the Gospel passage being commented on. I then italicize quotes from this passage in the body of the refection. The only time I list a source is when the quotation comes from some other part of the bible. I feel the reflections flow better with this approach. When naming a source, I have used the following abbreviation for each of the Gospels: MT = Matthew, MK = Mark, LK = Luke, and JN = John.

I have used a standard format for the few quotes that come from a specific source. When I do not know the name of the original source but know it was not me, I so indicate.

Finally, thinking about where specific ideas came to me over the last thirty years humbles me and makes me incredibly grateful for all those who took time to help me see more clearly. I have been blessed.

The

Whole

Idea

I was walking in the rain up either a large hill or small mountain; I couldn’t decide which. I was two-thirds of the way through my Camino pilgrimage across northern Spain. It was late morning. I was tired.

Suddenly, I was holding our firstborn child, right after her birth. I felt as I had felt then, in the most vivid terms—a love so strong I had a hard time breathing. I knew to the core of my being I would do anything to care for this child I had helped create.

Tears came to my eyes.

Then the dawning: I was the child being held by the Father. I was experiencing his unconditional love.

Thoughts raced through my mind.

Forgiveness wasn’t even a consideration with my children when they were very young. I smiled at their silly mistakes, nursed their bruises after falls, tried my best to protect them from harm. I always wanted the best for them, even when I let them make mistakes so they would learn.

Is this how God views me? How freeing.

I love all our children. But I knew the first child part of the experience was important because it was the FIRST time in my life I had experienced overwhelming, almost inexplicable love.

I am not sure how long this experience lasted. Maybe seconds, perhaps minutes. It was transformative.

I am a child of God, yes I am.

I believe I was given the opportunity to see what I have always believed, but now more clearly. What I had always known but will never fully understand.

Jesus was very clear about this. The ability to see spiritual truths is always preceded by the decision to believe.

For we are spiritual beings living in a material universe, given the opportunity to learn to love, because God is love.

This God reveals himself in Holy Scripture, in his Son Jesus, in his Christian Church, and in his personal touch.

This God is both totally other (how large is the universe?) and intimately present within each of us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what will lead to our fulfillment better than we do.

His generosity will never be outdone. Think about who is responsible for your greatest gifts: your life, those you love, each new day, and the ability to feel, think, experience joy.

The devil’s greatest friend is our tendency to take our most important blessings for granted. A spring morning, a good meal, laughter, those we hold most dear.

Life is eternal. It has already begun. How soon we experience eternal life depends on the choices we make.

God is always calling us into relationship so we might experience life fully lived in this existence, in preparation for life lived completely in the next.

Life fully lived means fully experiencing both the incredible beauty and inevitable setbacks of life. Life fully lived enables us to savor the giftedness of all creation, the presence of the Divine in everything, the life-giving nature of love in our relationships, and the innate talents we have all been given.

Living life fully leads to joy.

Joy is accepting I am loved without condition, I am uniquely special, and I can live with hope.

Once Jesus’ invitation to relationship is accepted, no matter how ineptly, the journey just keeps getting better, as long as we are willing to make the effort to live his invitation of Follow me.

Follow me means being willing to leave where we are. We have a hard time leaving where we are, as we tend to cling to what is, even when what is leaves much to be desired.

As a result, most of us realize very little of our potential to live life fully.

Life fully lived is not life without challenges, disappointments and failure. Suffering is part of life. Almost all important personal growth occurs when we deal with challenges, disappointments, failure and suffering and when we are forced to leave where we are.

In fact, life is built on a recurring cycle of deaths (leaving what is with no ability to return) followed by new life.

Jesus calls us to follow him by trusting in his Father during every passion and death we experience so we may always rise to new life.

Hope is believing God will always lead me to a new and fulfilling life after every death I experience. God gives us the ability to choose new life that is more fulfilling.

Our relationships form the bedrock for life fully lived and for the kingdom.

We have been given free will—the ability to decide for ourselves what is and is not important. Jesus encourages us to use this gift. Our lives can be transformed only when we have decided for ourselves what is and is not important.

God gives us a number of other gifts to help us live life more fully. These include the way we choose to view life, our innate predisposition to cling to one thing in our lives as more important than anything else, his continuing real presence in the Eucharist, and the attitudes we choose to make most prevalent in our lives.

Our attitudes have negative or positive impacts on us and on those around us. Positive attitudes are more powerful than negative attitudes. This is one of God’s gifts.

The most life-giving attitudes are humility, compassion, righteousness (seeking God’s will) and forgiveness. These attitudes are rooted in love, and they are fundamental to God’s call to be merciful.

God makes and keeps promises. For example, one of his promises tells us to give and we will receive more than we have given. This is most true when what we give is rooted in love and in God’s call to be merciful.

Jesus encourages us to be childlike in our willingness to trust in his Father’s promises.

God gives us each talents. The important thing is not how many talents we have been given, but our willingness to use them to help others. When we do, we grow in our ability to live life fully.

Jesus never asked anyone to achieve a specific result. He always encouraged his followers to make the effort.

Jesus used his healing miracles to help us understand how best to make the effort and to trust in and become his mercy.

The subject Jesus referred to most frequently was faith: the willingness to open ourselves to the presence and power of the Divine. Faith has great power in our lives: to calm storms, move mountains, heal hurts.

Church helps connect us more intimately to the reality of God’s love. Love is the answer to all important questions.

Year

A

First Sunday in Advent

The Messiah Is Coming

Gospel Passage: Matthew 24:37-44

This story comes from a book I happened upon many years ago. I can’t remember the name of the book or the author. The following words are my recreation of what I read. And never forgot.

Once upon a time, in a far-off land, there was a very famous monastery. Unfortunately, over time, this monastery had fallen on hard times. The number of people who came to visit decreased each year, and almost no one showed any interest in becoming a fellow monk. To make matters worse, the grounds and buildings had fallen into disrepair. There were only three monks left, and they felt it was more important to spend all their time praying for a revival of the monastery’s fortunes.

One day, an elderly man arrived with an astounding message: the Messiah was coming to visit the monastery. You can imagine the joy experienced by the monks. Their prayers had been answered! Once people knew the Messiah had actually visited, the monastery would become famous once again. Before they knew it, the elderly gentleman insisted he had to continue on his way. It was only after he had left that the monks realized they had forgotten to ask how they would know which visitor was the Messiah. They decided it would be obvious, and so they started their preparations.

Within a very short time, the monastery was clean and the grounds immaculate. The monks even hired a new cook to ensure the Messiah would be well fed. Because the monks knew the next visitor just might be the Messiah, they started treating every newcomer with great deference and respect. They made a particular effort to listen carefully to everything each visitor said, knowing that at some point, one of them would announce he WAS the Messiah.

Soon, word began to spread. The monastery was a special place with wonderful monks who were kind to everyone. More visitors began to come. Some even decided to stay and become monks themselves. They wanted whatever special gift the monks had.

Before too many years, the monastery was more famous than it had ever been. And the three original monks, now quite elderly, were convinced the Messiah was responsible for all that had happened, even though they still weren’t sure who it had been.

And that’s good news today.

Second Sunday of Advent

Repentance

Gospel Passage: Matthew 3:1-12

Probably the best way to prepare for the coming of the Messiah is to repent. Sounds forbidding, doesn’t it? It sounds like we must give up everything we like to do to spend all our time in prayer. But just as with the monks in last week’s story, repentance means something far different.

Repentance means changing the way we look at things. Think of it this way: imagine we all wear eyeglasses. Some let their wearers see only what’s wrong, others see friends versus enemies, others see only what’s pleasant, and so on. The good news is we are all given the ability to choose our eyeglasses. The bad news is most of us don’t even know we have them. Repentance recognizes this reality and is the process of picking eyeglasses that allow us to see what’s important.

The first step is simple. We must decide there is a reason to make a change. It must be a powerful reason because we all resist change, regardless of how good or bad our current eyeglasses are. For the monks, it was believing the Messiah would actually visit them. John the Baptist was trying to convince people of the same thing.

Once there is sufficient reason to overcome our reluctance to